BAMBERG - Patient volume is up and cash collections are stable, but the chief financial officer of the Bamberg County Hospital and Nursing Center warned Bamberg County Council Monday night the facility is still in a tenuous financial situation.
Plans for a new $47 million, 59-bed hospital with two operating rooms and an endoscopy suite in the county began to unravel in November 2007 when the Hospital Board announced the facility had a combined loss of $2.2 million for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 and it would need to borrow money to continue operating.
"We are in a tough situation still. We are not out of the woods yet," Carl Meinst, BCHNC chief financial officer, told the council Monday.
Meinst introduced Roy Vinson as BCHNC's new chief executive officer. Vinson most recently served as the CEO of Bartow Regional Medical Center in Bartow, Florida. Bartow Regional, a 72-bed acute care hospital, is owned and operated by Naples, Fla.-based Health Management Associates, one of the nation's largest health care companies. He will replace Kurt Meyer who had been working as interim administrator of the Bamberg County facility.
"Roy is a seasoned health care executive. He brings just a wealth of experience to complement the good work that Kurt's done in the last six months," Meinst said.
Vinson said he looked forward to serving the community and working with the council "individually and collectively."
Meinst reported the hospital and nursing center had a combined profit of $178,000 at the end of November this year, with $148,000 coming from the hospital.
"We're going in the right direction," he said, despite markedly reduced patient volumes in November, particularly in outpatient surgery.
Overall, however, Meinst said patient volume and cash collection were up "across the board," with surgery activity up 14 percent and emergency room activity up 12 percent, along with a three percent increase in radiology and lab activities. He said preliminary hospital revenue figures reveal an increase of $245,000 from what they were in November.
Meinst said overall cash collections in December were $2,129,000 - $533,000 more than the previous month. "That's a good thing. We're working hard. We just hope to continue making progress," he said.
Also Monday night, re-elected county council members sworn in were: Clint Carter, District 7; Clair Guess, District 4; Isaiah Odom, District 5 and Chris Wilson, District 1.
Guess was elected council chairman for 2009, and Councilwoman Alzena Robinson was elected vice chairperson. Wilson was presented a service award for his work as last year's chairman.
In other business, Ted Robertson, county Litter Control Board chairman, reported more volunteers are being sought. He said the board spent a little more than $6,000 in Palmetto Pride grant funds on items such as projector and art supplies, ribbons and awards for the group's poster contest which drew 850 entries last year from youth. The group held three Appreciation Days last year for volunteers, Robertson said.
Wilson said the litter control effort could be expanded through the state Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway program, and Odom said more inmates at the county detention center could be used for litter pickup. Wilson said council needs to revisit the budget to see if it can hire a full-time or part-time litter control officer as previously discussed.
Richard Ness, county attorney, said he is personally impacted by the litter problem, with a lot of trash accumulating near his 400-acre farm on Slow Pitch Road. He said refrigerators, tires and toys are some items that are illegally dumped because the limited access disposal site on U.S. 601 is not open at convenient times. County Administrator Rose Dobson-Elliott agreed to look into the situation.
Bamberg County Council also:
* Heard from Fire Coordinator Brenna Hancock that the fire service procured new trucks and tankers. She said the county has only four old fire trucks left, with one already set for auction. Each of the county's interior firefighters took physicals for the first time last year under National Fire Protection Association guidelines, Hancock reported, with eight percent of them failing stress tests.
"Thanks to y'all for approving that, because you possibly saved eight percent of our firefighter's lives," she said.
* Heard from Hancock that the fire service is updating its dry hydrant system following an upgrade of its dispatching system. She said the fire service had progressed during the past two years with the creation and adoption of standard operating guidelines and increased cooperation between departments.
* Received a six-month expense report from Thomas M. Thomas, county finance director. He said projected expenditures are in line, with approximately 48 percent of the county's $7.4 million budget remaining - or an estimated $3.8 million - for FY 2008-2009.
Robinson asked how the county had been impacted by state budget cuts, and Thomas noted that local government funding, which had been projected at $1 million, was cut 6.5 percent to the tune of $65,000. Dobson-Elliott said cheaper gas prices, however, have allowed the county to make up some of the lost revenue. "We're counting our pennies," she said. The administrator said no furloughs of county employee are anticipated.
* Heard from Dobson-Elliott that Bamberg and Colleton counties reached a mutual-use agreement for a limited access disposal site for residents of the Little Swamp community. Colleton agreed to allow Bamberg County residents use at no cost one of its LAD sites that is located within a mile of Little Swamp.
* Approved, with Councilman William Nimmons opposed, to changing its meeting time from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. County Council meets the first Monday of each month. Council also agreed to hold its 2009 planning retreat on Saturday, Feb. 21 and to have the administrator schedule a joint meeting with the County Hospital and Nursing Center Board for a tour and discussion of hospital repairs and renovations.
T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534.